Runaways
by BettyHT
Summary: Three runaways from a CA reform school end up hiding on the Ponderosa. First Eric and Matthew are involved but eventually their fathers and other members of the family are caught up in the drama.
1. Chapter 1

**Runaways**

**Chapter 1**

The school year had started. Eric and Matthew were riding to school while the younger children rode in the wagon. On the way home on the first Friday, the two boys asked Hoss if they could take a detour and ride to the lake and then home.

"As long as you boys don't go anywhere else. You both have chores to do. Deal?"

Both boys nodded vigorously.

"Thank you, Papa."

"Thank you, Uncle Hoss."

The trees were turning color already, and Hoss was predicting a long winter. Even Adam had purchased supplies for a number of winter projects because although reluctant to believe Hoss, he knew his younger brother had been right about this too often before. With the expectation that winter would be a long and harsh one confining them to their homes all too much, Hoss wanted the boys to be able to enjoy these nice days as much as possible. He watched them ride away toward the lake and was proud of both of them. They were becoming such responsible young men even at ages eight and ten. He felt that he and Adam had a right to be proud of their sons. Then he had to snap the reins and get moving again because the children in the back were clamoring to get home. It was a long day for them with an hour's ride on each end tacked onto the school day.

Nearing the lake, Matthew and Eric slowed their mounts and let them cool down. The boys had every intention of jumping in that cool water for what could be the last swim of the season and wanted their horses ready to stand idle for at least a short time. As the boys neared the shore, they were watched by three pairs of eyes looking out from the bushes. Once they had stripped their clothing, they jumped in the lake for a swim which didn't last long once the boys found out how cold the water was. As they climbed out, Eric and Matthew saw three boys trying to climb on their horses to ride away. Dressing rapidly, they yelled at the boys to stop but they didn't. It was clear the would-be horse thieves knew very little about riding because they were unable to mount up and ride off. They also had not tightened the cinches and soon both saddles were hanging off the sides of the horses.

"Dang it, Z aren't you supposed to know about horses? You was working on that ranch for a long time."

"Well Lake, they sure as hell didn't let somebody like me have a horse to ride. The closest I got to horses was mucking out the stalls."

The three boys stood in defensive postures as Matthew and Eric approached warily. The three were all bigger than Matthew, and although they looked gaunt, they also looked tough. Eric would have been a match for any one of them, but against three would have been at a significant disadvantage. It didn't matter to the two Cartwrights though for they would fight to keep their horses no matter that the odds were against them.

"We need these horses. You better help us or we'll kick your asses." The one called Z was apparently quite used to using bad language. What else he was capable of doing was still more of a worry to the two boys.

Matthew decided to take a rational approach. "Well let's take a look at your premise. Why do you need our horses?"

"Why do you care?" Z wasn't sure what to make of the calm approach of the two boys they had encountered. They were either very confident or blithely unaware of the danger they were in. The refined speech of the smaller one increased his evaluation that they had little to fear from these two.

"Well, ifn you really needed em, we could see what we could do about getting you some, but we need them to get home right now." Eric stood shoulder to shoulder with Matthew. He had seen Matthew fight once and knew these boys had no idea that they were not in a superior position.

"Well I think we'll just take these two and make it simple for ya." Z was the overconfident one but didn't know that.

Z had to assume the three of them could take the other two especially as one was clearly younger than any of them. He signaled the others and they rushed toward the two boys with two of them tackling Eric and Z taking on Matthew. Eric was able to throw Lake away and wrestle just with the one as yet unnamed boy. By the time Lake came back, Eric had reduced the third boy to a crying heap on the ground as Eric turned to face Lake's rush which he easily sidestepped. Lake tried again with the same result. Eric maneuvered him around until the next bull rush got Lake falling headfirst into a tree where he sat stunned. Eric turned around at the applause he heard. Matthew was standing next to Z who was on the ground holding his hand to a bleeding nose and lip.

"Well done, cousin. I have never seen a bullfight, but I believe I have seen the next best thing. That was magnificent."

"Sorry I didn't get to see you fight. I figured it was going to be dang pretty to watch but I was kinda busy."

"Not sure if it was pretty, but it was short. He never even covered up so two punches, and it was over. Now perhaps they would be agreeable to answering our question as to why they needed our horses."

"I think you broke my nose!"

"Well, that would be two I've broken so far. Keep that in mind if you choose to engage me in a fight ever again. Now as you evidently are capable of speech, why do you need our horses?"

The unnamed boy stood and walked to where the three were standing. "We need em because if we don't get em, they might catch us still. We gotta get further away or we'll go back to that horrid place."

"Joe, shut up. Don't tell em anything else or they'll have the law on us for sure."

"What horrid place?" Eric was as curious as Matthew.

"We were all in reform school in California. They beat us for every little thing, and the three of us were going to be flogged except we escaped first."

Shocked at that, Matthew asked the logical next question. "Why would they flog you? You're only boys like us."

"They were gonna flog us because we had gotten into the food stores and gave out a lot of food to the other boys there. They only feed us enough to keep us alive. Weaker boys are easier to control. I was only there a short time, but I could see what they had done to the boys there. Sometimes people would pay for us and get an indenture that we had to work for them for a year. It only cost them twenty dollars that the school got. Then the people you work for have to feed you and such so the school gets to keep the money the state pays them for room and board."

"You boys look healthy enough." Eric was skeptical.

"You might think so. How old do you think we are?"

"Well you look to be about my age."

"Lake is seventeen and will be out of reform school next year. Won't do him no good though cause his family is dead. Z is Isaiah and he's fifteen and part black. I'm ten but I've only been in reform school for a year. My friends have been in since they were about five or six. They aren't actually sure because nobody keeps track of birthdays that carefully in reform school. They have just accepted the age the school says they were when they got there."

"What would a five-year-old do to end up in reform school?" Eric was shocked as Matthew stood by him evaluating what he was hearing. Joe seemed to be more calm and rational than the other two boys, and it was probably because he had spent far less time in reform school.

"Just by being without any other place to go is enough. If you're part Indian or part black or even all black, there's nowhere else to go. Lake and I have Indian mothers."

"We can help you, but we can't give you our horses. My name is Matthew and this is Eric. We're cousins, and you're on our family's land. We'll bring you food and other things."

"Why would you do that?" Z was suspicious.

"Because my family believes in helping people in need. We'll be back as soon as we can." Matthew looked at Eric who nodded.

"We got chores to do, and then we'll be expected at dinner. We'll ask if we can camp out tonight." Matthew nodded at Eric's plan. "We'll be able to take blankets and food with us that way. Now if you were to wait right here, we could find you. We can't get you any horses, but we'll figure out something tonight and tomorrow as we talk this through."

The three runaways nodded because they had no other options even though they were still very suspicious. Z was still acting like a ruffian though and had one final threat to make. "We'll be ready for you if this is a trick."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As they rode home, Eric and Matthew made plans. They would do their chores, and then see if they could follow through on their plan. Matthew took care of his horse and his other chores in the stable and then went in the house. His father was busy with some paperwork and his mother was sewing as his sister Hope lay in a small cradle at her feet. It was a good time to ask his mother, and he was sure his father would hear and have an opinion.

"Mama, Eric and I were wondering on the way home if we could camp out tonight. There are so few nice nights left, that it would be wonderful to be able to sleep under the stars one more night."

"Well I suppose we could still pitch a tent out in the garden if you wish. Is Eric coming over here later?"

"Well we were hoping we could camp down by the lake. Then in the morning, we could catch some fish for breakfast."

"Oh no, there are two many dangers near the lake and that's too far from home." Matthew knew his father would likely object and he had, so he tried another tact that he had thought of while working in the stable.

"Could we use the old homestead then? It even has a place for our horses to be safe, and we could sleep without worry and so could you."

That gave Adam pause. He remembered being Matthew's age and being anxious to grow up. He had worked so much at that age though, he never got to have an adventure like Matthew was hoping to have. The old homestead is what they called the cabin that his father had built when they had first moved here. It still had a dirt floor and was small, but it was in reasonably good condition because occasionally one of the married hands had lived there. There was a ramshackle old stable there, but unless there was a storm, it was sound enough.

"Well, Traci, what do you think? I could take the boys there and make sure they were settled in, and then Hoss could ride over in the morning to be sure they were all right."

Not wanting to give too much away, Matthew was grinning though at his father's obvious acceptance of the idea. He turned toward his mother though and saw that she was anything but convinced. Adam walked over and whispered in her ear though, and then she nodded.

"Be sure to take extra blankets. It could get very cold tonight."

Beaming with joy, Matthew gave his mother a kiss and then went to the kitchen to gather up food. He slipped a few cans of peaches in the sack when he thought Hop Sing wasn't looking. Then he grabbed a sandwich from the meat and biscuits that Hop Sing had prepared for dinner. Adam told Hop Sing he would be late, but that he would appreciate a plate of biscuits and beef kept warm. Hop Sing grumbled but could never refuse the number one son. He smiled as he saw the father and son walk out to the stable.

When Adam and Matthew arrived at Hoss' house, they walked in on a similar discussion to the one Matthew had had with his parents. Adam told Hoss and Jillian what he planned to do and asked Hoss if he thought he could check on them in the morning. Hoss and Jillian were agreeable to that plan, but when the boys went out to saddle up Eric's horse, Adam whispered to Hoss who then whispered to his wife who nodded. Hoss' two girls wanted to know what the secret was, but Jillian admonished them to be respectful of adult conversation.

Adam rode with the boys to the homestead. Made sure the lanterns worked and lit three of them. One he hung outside. Then he went to the stable with another and left it on the post outside after inspecting the stable to be sure no snakes or other critters had taken up residence. Adam had the boys haul in a stack of firewood and started a fire in the fireplace to be sure the chimney was clear.

"Now, you may have to shake the dust out of the mattresses and wipe down the table, chairs, and cabinet, but otherwise it looks clean enough in here. Keep that lantern outside, but you can bring the one from the stable inside once you have your horses inside. Now remember, even if it's going to the necessary, you go together. I forgot, but I'll check the necessary to be sure it's in good condition too."

Once that last task was completed, Adam mounted up and rode in the direction of home. Eric and Matthew grinned at each other, and headed out to the stable. Once they were sure Adam was gone, they mounted up and headed to the lake as dusk descended. They hurried because it would take a while to get back, but the lanterns burning outside would be good beacons to use. They would have to walk back because there was no way the two small horses could handle five of them, but it wasn't a long walk.

At the lake, there was no sign of the three boys. Eric lit a match and called out for the boys to answer but only silence answered him.

"Well, maybe they left. We can just go back to the cabin then, and come back and check again in the morning."

Turning to walk their horses back to the cabin for it would be too risky to try riding in the near darkness, they were suddenly confronted by the three boys.

"We had to be sure you weren't bringing any others. Where's the food and blankets you promised?" Z was still antagonistic and unwilling to trust the two boys.

Matthew had an answer for him. "Our parents wouldn't let us camp out here. They said it was too dangerous." The three boys snickered at that, but inwardly they remembered the growls and the howls that had scared them into climbing trees and shivering until dawn several times on their trek. "We did convince them to allow us the use of an old cabin on our property. My father got us settled in there to be sure we would be safe tonight. That is why it took us longer than expected to return to you."

"Why do you talk so funny? I ain't never heard anyone talk like that out here." Joe was very curious.

"That's cause my cousin grew up in Massachusetts. That's in New England, you know."

"Well then how did he learn to ride and fight like he done?"

"My father took me to his boxing club so I could learn to defend myself. I rode almost every day out there as soon as I learned to ride."

"Did you really break another nose before you broke mine?"

So the five boys began the walk to the cabin as Matthew told his story, and then he and Eric answered more questions as the runaways came up with more and more to ask. The walk to the cabin seemed short with all the conversation. Once there, the boys stayed with Eric and Matthew as they settled their horses in the stable before all five went to the cabin taking the extra lantern with them. Inside, the runaway boys fell on the food like they hadn't eaten in days. They had been able to catch a few small animals to eat, but none of them had had a full stomach for so long, it didn't take long for them to feel stuffed.

"Ifn your family has so much money, how come this here cabin has a dirt floor like any homesteader out here?"

"My family wasn't always wealthy. When my father and grandfather got here, they only were able to claim this small area of land and build a cabin that first year. Eric's father was only a small boy then. Over the years, they worked very hard and invested in the land until they had built the Ponderosa."

"What's a Ponderosa?"

"That's what my family calls our ranch. My Pa and Ma have a house not too far from here. Uncle Joe and his wife have another one, and our Uncle Jamie has a little cottage not too far away. Matthew's parents live with Grandpa in the big house they built once they had more money."

"Oh, and in our saddlebags, we brought some shirts. Eric brought two, and I brought one. We hope they fit the three of you. We also have extra socks. We couldn't get any other clothes for you or our parents would have been overly suspicious."

The three boys quickly shucked their filthy shirts and grabbed the clean ones. Matthew dropped a bar of soap on the table and told them that he and Eric would get some water from the well for them to clean up. Once they brought a bucket of water inside, the three boys did bathe their torsos, arms, faces, and hands. Matthew and Eric were shocked to see the scars on the backs of all three boys especially on Z and Lake but were too polite to say anything.

"Tomorrow morning we can all go swim in the lake a little. We can bring the soap along, and you can wash your hair too. Eric and I found the water a little cold earlier, but it's not too bad if you stay in the shallows. We can wash your pants too, and you can use the blankets to cover up until your pants are dry."

All three runaways felt better than they had in a very long time. Eric and Matthew threw bedrolls on the floor to sleep as the three boys shared the two cots with Z in one and Lake and Joe in the other.

"You know, it wasn't that long a walk here, and you did keep your promise, but I had this funny feeling the whole way like somebody was watching us, and I still do. I guess we ain't trusted nobody for so long, I just might be feeling a might nervous about all this." Joe leaned back on the cot and smiled for the first time in over a year.

Up on the hill, Adam stood and mounted up. He had found out as much as he could by watching. He planned to get reinforcements and then come back to confront the five.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Arriving back at the Ponderosa, Adam told Traci and his father about the boys at the cabin. Then he went to the stable to hitch a team to the buckboard before heading over to Hoss' house. Once there, he knocked on the door and got a worried Hoss.

"Did something happen with the boys?"

"Yes, but nothing to get too worried about. Our sons have three guests at the cabin. I've got the wagon. Throw on your jacket and grab a bedroll. I don't think we'll head home in the dark, but I don't want the boys there without us either. Gabe came with me. He'll stay here to make sure Jillian and the girls have someone if they need anything."

Hoss went in their kitchen to get some food too, and Adam leaned against their front door smiling. How very much like Hoss to never let even the most serious events get in the way of his appetite. Jillian chuckled at his look.

"He's right, you know. You may need more food before this is over especially if the boys have three guests. I don't think they packed enough food for five and now it will be seven."

Toting a large sack of food and supplies, Hoss took the two blankets Jillian had gotten for him and headed outside as Adam held the door.

"Adam, please remember that they're boys, and they're just having an adventure."

"Jillian, I will, but I want them to be safe too. They need to know that they're not old enough to handle everything they think they can."

Nodding in agreement, Jillian went to give Hoss a kiss goodbye. Then Adam and Hoss headed out, and she could see them already talking. Those two worked so well together that it no longer surprised her to see them talking so much. At one time she had thought that Adam didn't talk that much unless he was angry, but she had come to realize he talked a lot with people he trusted. Since he had moved back, he had seen more of her and Hoss because their sons were so close in age, and as had come to trust her more, they talked more and more. That made her feel even more a part of the family. She smiled and walked inside knowing the two fathers would work out a plan for dealing with this situation.

At the cabin, Adam and Hoss decided to wait until dawn to confront their sons. Adam had walked to the cabin and peeked in the window. With the light of the lantern the boys had left lit, he had seen that they all appeared to be sleeping. He walked back to Hoss, and they agreed to sleep in the wagon. Adam had anticipated that and brought two mattresses from the bunkhouse. After they put the two horses in the stable, they climbed into the wagon to sleep. They kept their jackets on of course, and snuggled under the blankets they had brought with them.

During the predawn hours, Lake and Joe got up to use the necessary. They saw a wagon they didn't remember seeing when they had gotten there, but it was the loud snores that scared them. They didn't know what it was, talked about it briefly, and then ran back inside to alert the others. The boys' voices and all the commotion woke Adam who woke Hoss.

"Looks like we've been discovered. Let's head on into the cabin and see what's up."

Hoss slowly awakened, grumbling, and climbed down from the wagon to follow Adam who was striding to the cabin. Adam knocked on the door and then opened it but was hit down low by Joe who had launched himself at the intruder. With a loud grunt, Adam dropped to the floor and rolled up in a fetal position holding his privates. Matthew dropped to his side just as Hoss filled the doorway. Joe tried to use the same maneuver on Hoss, but Hoss had been forewarned by seeing Adam in his pained state. Hoss put his hand to Joe's head to stop his rush and then picked him up and tucked him under one arm.

Hoss couldn't help it then and guffawed. "Well I hope you and Traci done had all the children ya wanted cause maybe you won't be able to have any more now."

Matthew looked up with a shocked expression. "Papa, Papa, are you going to be all right. Papa?"

With Matthew on one side and Hoss using one arm, the two of them were able to help Adam to a chair. "Oh, how I would like a bucket of ice to sit on right about now." Adam had his voice back, but it was a pained voice. He groaned a few more times, and Joe had to ask.

"That's your pa?"

"Yes, and Hoss is Eric's pa. Why did you do that to him?"

"Well in the reform school, sometimes one of the men came for ya, and that stopped em. Ya might get a whipping instead but that was better." Lake and Z nodded but had been silenced by the last few minutes and not at all sure what to do or say. They thought they were probably in a lot of trouble and didn't want to make it worse.

"Now you boys want to start telling us the whole story? Eric and Matthew, you lied to us and that has to be explained right now."

Trying to sidestep that one, Eric was first to talk. "Pa, we didn't lie, we just didn't tell you about the three boys we found at the lake. We came to the cabin just like we said."

Hoss looked at Adam to answer. Adam had regained his composure, but the lines around his eyes and the frown indicated that he was still in some discomfort.

"You two know that lying by omission is still lying. You didn't tell the whole truth and that is very wrong. You tried to obfuscate and that is not acceptable."

"What'd he say?" Lake and Z echoed each other on that one.

Matthew tried to help. "To make opaque. Confuse and cover up. Fool em." He got nods from all including Hoss on the last try.

"Your pa talks like you, Matthew. Why don't you two just talk English like the rest of us instead a using them foreign words?" Lake was getting self-righteous and hoping too to get the conversation away from them and focused on someone else.

Adam wasn't fooled. "Now you're trying to do it too. Matthew, tell us the whole story right now. I am not happy that you lied, and this delay is making it worse. Tell us everything right now."

There was no mistaking that tone of voice. Matthew dropped his head and started to talk. "We lied because we promised to keep these boys a secret. We had to break a promise or tell a lie. If we broke the promise, then we lied to them first, but you're my Pa and I hated lying to you at all, but I didn't know how else to do it."

"That's all right. I do understand that, but we'll have to have a talk about ethics and doing the right thing even if you do break a promise. That's later. For now, who are these boys and why are they with you? And does he have a broken nose?"

Matthew turned red on that one and so did Z who was embarrassed that someone so young had beaten him in a fight.

"Pa, they attacked us. They wanted our horses, and we were defending ourselves. We had no other choice. Lake and Joe jumped Eric, and Z came after me. He's quite a bit bigger than me, Papa, and I had to hit him to make him stop."

Hoss was even more interested then. "Eric, what did you do?"

"Well, Pa, I did what you taught me. I shoved the biggest one away, and wrestled the other littler one until he quit. Didn't take long. When Lake rushed me, I sidestepped him a couple of times until he ran into a tree." Lake rubbed the top of his head where he still had a good size goose egg swelling from that one. "They didn't want to fight no more after that."

"All right, then, who cooked up the scheme about the cabin?"

"Papa, you did. We asked to camp by the lake and you said to come here instead. So we went to get them and walked back here to spend the night. They were quite hungry and ate a lot of the food we brought." Adam raised an eyebrow and Matthew continued. "We brought soap so they could clean up, and clean socks and shirts. You said it is our duty as Cartwrights to help those in need, and we thought we were fulfilling that expectation."

Looking at Hoss who was nodding, Adam thought they had gotten enough from Matthew and Eric. "Now, the three of you can tell us your story."

The three boys remained silent.

"This is not a request. It is a demand."

There was still no explanation.

"You can tell us, and perhaps we will help you. Or we can take you to the sheriff, and he'll send you back to where you belong."

The three boys started talking then. Adam and Hoss had a few questions along the way and those were answered. All of them were amazed that with no resources, these three boys had crossed the mountains on their own. Adam and Hoss were well aware of the many dangers out there and how these boys must have been terrified at times. They were impressed with their ingenuity and their strength of character. Adam had one last question.

"What were you going to do once you got here?"

"Well, on one of the ranches in California, Lake and me heard people talking about how badly some of the ranches and such out here needed hard workers cause so many went on gold and silver rushes. Well, we know how to work hard, and we figured to get jobs."

"What about Joe? He's too young to sign on as a ranch hand."

"We figured to take care of him until he was old enough to take care of himself. We made a deal. We keep our word." Lake nodded at Z's statement.

Looking at Hoss for confirmation, Adam told them what they would do. "We'll take you over to the house. We'll get you cleaned up and properly dressed."

"We are cleaned up!"

Raising an eyebrow at Joe's outburst, Adam calmly continued. "We will check out your story, and if you told us the truth, we'll help you. You can stay with us until everything is settled. Then we'll see."

"We ain't ever going back to that reform school!" All three boys nodded at that.

"We're a long way from talking about that. For now, let's fix some breakfast. I can hear my brother's stomach growling already."

Hoss went to get the sack of supplies from the wagon. The seven of them cooked up a breakfast, ate, and talked the entire time. When breakfast was done, they packed up all the supplies and the blankets and piled them in the back of the wagon. Once Eric and Matthew were saddled up, and the horse were hitched to the wagon, they headed out. Adam dropped Hoss off at his house with Eric, and then continued to the main house with his son and the three boys. Once there, they had to explain everything to Ben and Traci.

All of the adults knew this was a big responsibility, but the first order was getting the boys cleaned up and in decent clothing. There were enough old clothes in storage that they were able to dress them all well enough, but there were no boots or shoes that fit. Traci did some tracings and Adam left with those to buy some proper footwear in town. Ben brought clean clothing and towels to the washroom for the boys and had been shocked to see their backs. Lake and Z carried enough scars that they would rival any slave who had been whipped in the South, but these boys were still so young. Joe only had a few lash marks, but he had been in the reform school only a short time. The clothing from the reform school was burned because it was in such poor condition. By dinner on Saturday, no one could tell how dirty and ragged the three had looked just the day before.

Because the three boys were not feeling complete trust this new environment and new friends, a cot was moved into the downstairs guest bedroom so they could sleep in the same room. That night as the three attempted to leave, a man stood and told them to get back in the house. Adam and Ben had anticipated that there would be a breakout attempt or two and had assigned men to take turns watching all night long. They would have to do that until the situation with the boys was resolved.

The next morning, Adam and Traci decided to stay home from church services to be with the boys. Matthew was sent to church with his grandfather and told not to say anything about their guests. Ben would tell Joe and Roy who were invited to dinner that night. They would have the boys tell their story one more time. By the end of that dinner, Joe was in agreement that they should help the boys, and Roy said he would start making some discreet enquiries. When the sheriff left, and they were still free, the three runaways relaxed a little thinking that perhaps they had found some people who would help.

The most interesting and entertaining conversation was when Joe asked Joe about his name. "Have you always been called Joe cause it could get a little confusing around here?"

"Yes, my father said that Joe was a strong name and I should always be proud of it. He didn't like his name. He said his parents gave him a girl's name."

"What was his name?"

"Francis."

Hoss laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair, and Adam was sitting next to him and dropped his head on Hoss' shoulder laughing more than he had in a long time. Their brother Joe's face turned red but the young Joe was mystified as to what was so funny. The other family members were chuckling too even the children who were seated around a table in the great room.

Matthew explained. " My Uncle Joe's given name is Joseph Francis."

The rest of the conversation was that calling Joe 'LJ' as a nickname would help if anyone made enquiries about a Joe traveling with two other boys.

"Why LJ?"

"It stands for Little Joe. You're the little Joe now, so we can call you that to keep the two of you straight when we talk."

The three runaways weren't as sure on Monday morning that these Cartwrights had their best interests in mind when Adam told LJ he was going to school, and Ben told Lake and Z they had chores assigned.

"Why do we have to work? This is going to be just like those indentures." Lake stood behind Z in support.

"You will work because everyone here works. You will be paid thirty dollars a month just like any other beginning hand. If your work improves and you can do more, you will be paid forty dollars a month like a regular hand. Now are there any other questions?"

Lake and Z were so surprised by that and had nothing to say, but they did smile.

LJ looked at Ben and raised his hand timidly. "Do I get paid to work?"

"No, my boy, we don't hire until age fifteen or sixteen at the earliest. You're still school age. Adam will take you to school with Matthew. You will be introduced as a visitor to our ranch and nothing more. You have been to school before, haven't you?"

"I did go until my pa died a little over a year ago. I didn't get no schooling at the reform school."

Traci was aghast. "A reform school that does no schooling. What did you do there then?"

"We worked or we sat in our rooms. That was about it."

Ben and Adam may not have been sure what was going to happen, but Traci was sure that these boys were never going back to California. Adam saw the look in her eye and he knew exactly what she was thinking. He started to think of what the boys could do here in Nevada because he knew he would have to make that come true not just for the boys but for his wife.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

As Adam rode with Matthew and LJ to school, he told Matthew that the two of them would have a talk that evening after he finished his chores. Matthew could only answer "Yes, sir." and he was worried all day. LJ decided school wasn't so bad. He was behind in every subject, but the teacher was nice and many of the other students promised to help him catch up. During lunch recess, he spent time with Matthew, Eric, and their friends. It felt so good to be with normal people who would go home to their families at night and not get locked up in a room. He realized that despite their complaints about a variety of things, these boys were happy. He looked forward to being happy again. He hadn't had that feeling for well over a year ever since his father had first become ill. He shook off the painful memories and joined in a game of tag with the others before going back in for the afternoon.

As school ended, the teacher had them all clean up the schoolroom and wash the board. Everyone pitched in and worked together quickly making the place ready for teaching and learning the next day. LJ, Matthew, and Eric carried in firewood and that was the last thing that had to be done. Then they ran to the horses that were grazing to the side of the school, tightened up the cinches, and mounted up to ride home. Soon after leaving the school, they passed Gabe and the wagon carrying the younger children. They rode first toward Hoss' house where they bid goodbye to Eric and then rode to the main house. In the stable, they rubbed the horses down after removing their saddles, fed them, and gave them water. They mucked out the stalls and threw down fresh straw. Finished with their chores, they headed to the house. As they walked closer, it seemed that Matthew was walking slower.

"Matthew, can I ask ya something?"

"Sure, anything, anything at all." Matthew was looking for any reason not to go in the house at this point.

"Why were the guys at school so nice to me? I ain't never been welcomed that way before by kids I didn't know."

"Well, they gave me a hard time and I ended up breaking a guy's nose. They learned you must be careful in making assumptions about people with whom you are unfamiliar."

"Ya really did break somebody's nose before you broke Z's?"

"Yes, but I got in a lot of trouble with my father for that."

"Are ya worried that you're in a lot of trouble for helping us, and your pa's gonna give ya another tanning?"

"I'm not worried about a tanning. I would actually prefer that. I've never been tanned. Grandfather thinks my parents are too easy on me when I need to be punished. But my parents use other methods. My Papa can make me feel so rotten about what I've done that I wish he would tan me because that would be a lot easier. It would just be some pain and then it would be over. That disappointed look in his eyes when I've done something I shouldn't have, now that hurts for a long time."

"Wow, you ain't never been tanned. You sure turned out good for never having a tanning. Can you tell me why you talk so fine if ya live on a ranch and your pa grew up here?"

"My father was born in New England and went back there for college. He's an architect and an engineer. He has traveled a lot, and read more books than there are in the library in town."

"What the heck is an architect?"

"They design buildings. Papa designed this house before he was even a trained architect. He says now that he would have done a number of things quite differently if he had known more. I spent nearly eight years in New England because I was born there too. We only moved back here a year ago. I went to school and had lots of books to read."

The two boys went inside then, and Hop Sing told them to sit at the table for he had a snack for them. Adam told Matthew he was to meet him upstairs as soon as he finished his snack. Hop Sing sent LJ to bring snacks to Z and Lake who were working on the breaking corral fence. Matthew trudged up the stairs to face his father. Adam was waiting in his old bedroom that he now used as an office. Matthew walked in slowly unsure of his reception. Adam frowned and asked him to sit on a chair. Adam pulled one over until his knee was touching Matthew's as he spoke to him.

"I understand why you did what you did. I even know why you lied by omission. What I don't understand is why you didn't trust us enough to ask for our help. You're only eight." Matthew wanted to say something but Adam held up his hand. "I know, you're almost nine. But you are too young to take on this kind of responsibility. What were you planning to do after Friday night?"

"Well, we thought they could just stay there and we'd bring food for them. There's a lot of firewood there, and the cabin doesn't leak or anything so they could stay there."

"What about when winter came and no one could get there with food, and they would have run out of firewood quickly. That old cabin isn't used in the winter anymore except in an emergency because it is a bit drafty, and the stable is about to fall down in a big storm."

"We didn't think about those things."

"I know. You are a very smart boy, but you are still a boy, and you don't have the experience to handle a problem as complicated as this one is. When you face a big problem like this which requires a complex solution, you need to come to us for help. You also risked your safety and the safety of your horse by going to the lake when it was getting dark. It wasn't safe to be riding then especially as you are not familiar enough with those areas."

"We walked back."

"Only because five of you wouldn't fit on two horses?"

Matthew dropped his head in defeat. His father was correct on all counts. He had made a lot of mistakes in a very short time.

"Did things work out a lot better once Hoss and I got there?"

Matthew had the hint of a smile before he answered with a nod.

"I know; I know. It was better except for that head butt I got. Now you need to be reminded to be responsible enough to ask for help when you need it. Hop Sing needs the chicken coop cleaned out in preparation for winter." Matthew wanted to groan at that. He had been required to help with that job shortly after they had arrived on the Ponderosa and hated it. He disliked everything about it: the smell, the chickens, and the piles and piles of their droppings. "You will go downstairs now and tell Hop Sing that you are volunteering to clean the chicken coop for him. On Saturday, you will clean that chicken coop until Hop Sing is satisfied that you have done a good job."

"But Papa, Saturday is when we're going to celebrate my birthday. The whole family will be here."

"Yes, so I suggest you get up bright and early Saturday morning so you can have that job done and get a bath before our guests get here in the afternoon." Looking at his father, Matthew knew there was no argument that he could make that would make a difference. He agreed.

"Pa, are you ever going to give me a tanning instead of these talks and then the consequences I have to face?"

"No, son, this seems to be working just fine for us. Now one last thing: go apologize to your mother for worrying her."

"Yes, Papa." Matthew stood to leave and then turned back. "I'm sorry, Papa, for not trusting you to help us."

Adam smiled, nodded, and turned back to the drawings on the table. Matthew stood a bit longer but as he turned to leave he heard his father call his name. Adam stood and walked to Matthew and wrapped him in a hug. Matthew hugged back as hard as he could, and a few tears welled up in his eyes.

"Papa, I hate disappointing you."

"Son, we learn by the mistakes we make. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life. The key is to learn from them and not do the same thing again." Seeing the look Matthew was giving him, Adam had one last thing to say on that subject. "And no, I am not going to tell you about all of those mistakes. I'm sure Hoss and Joe have told you enough of those already."

Matthew grinned and nodded before leaving to go find his mother. When Matthew got downstairs, he answered the door when someone knocked and found it was Gabe who wanted to speak to Ben or Adam. Matthew didn't know where his grandfather was so he told Gabe that Adam was upstairs in his office. Gabe headed up there to talk with Adam. Gabe had one thing on his mind and it was the welfare of the two boys who had been working with him that day.

"Adam, I was wondering if the two boys are gonna be staying in the bunkhouse. They been working just fine today, and I think the men will treat em more like regular hands ifn the two of them was to stay with us in the bunkhouse."

"Well, they've only been here three days, and we thought they might like to stay together. Do you think they'll be all right staying with the hands? Those boys have had some rough experiences with men, and I think you know what I mean." Gabe had spent time in prison as a young man and come to work on the Ponderosa shortly after that. Adam was in college when Gabe had started working for his father, and the two of them had butted heads when Adam returned. Now they had respect for each other, and talked honestly with each other so Adam didn't think he had to hide anything from him.

"Well, boss, I never did have any family of my own. It's why I enjoy helping out picking up the younguns from school and such. These two boys make me feel like a father. I'd like the chance to work with em and make em good men. Nobody's gonna mess with them as long as I'm there. You know that some of the others are gonna help these boys too."

"All right, then. Why don't you ask them if they want to move into the bunkhouse with the men. We're paying them the same as a beginning hand so it would be reasonable, but I don't want to make then think we're not being respectful of them, so ask them."

Lake and Z were thrilled with the chance to move into the bunkhouse and be treated like men. They didn't have much to move. They had the extra clothing the Cartwrights had given them, and each had a small sack containing mostly the mementoes of their earlier lives. When dinner was served, there were only five places at the table. LJ looked at the table and had a worried look.

"LJ, Lake and Z have decided to move into the bunkhouse with the other hands. Now you have a choice to make too. You can stay in the guest room here by yourself, you can move into the guest room that is next to Matthew's room, or you could move into the bunkhouse too. I suggest you don't choose that last one though because there's a lot of, to be polite, noise and smells that tend to build up in there at night."

LJ and Matthew snickered and then laughed. But LJ did have an answer when he stopped laughing. "I'd like to stay right where I am if you don't mind. I like that room, and I'm real tired of moving."

After the boys were in bed for the night and Hope was sleeping soundly, Adam and Traci had a talk as they snuggled together in their bed.

"Adam, LJ is starting to feel like a part of the family. What are we going to do?"

"I know. I've been feeling the same way, but he's older than Matthew. Matthew is the oldest and I would hate to take that away from him by bringing LJ into the family, but I would hate to see LJ go anywhere else either."

"Maybe one of your brothers would be willing to take him into their family?"

"I don't know. We could talk about that eventually, but we're jumping ahead here. We don't even know if we can keep them here. We haven't heard back from that school yet."

"Yes, but I wanted you to know how I felt. That boy just grows in your heart. He is so sweet."

"Yes, he is, and tomorrow, I think I'll go into town, send some telegrams, and see what our lawyer has to say about all of this."

"Have you noticed how he keeps that little sack of his with him at all times? I even saw him put it in his pocket as he went to school."

"Well, those boys don't have much so I would think that they treasure the few things they do own."

Kissing led to loving, and then Adam and Traci fell asleep secure in their love for each other, and determined to find a way to make a better life for LJ.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

At the reform school, there was anger and recrimination.

"I thought you said they wouldn't survive crossing those mountains without food, horses, and blankets. Well, you were wrong. I just got an inquiry from the sheriff of Virginia City about three boys that might have run away from here. Now what are we going to do? If those boys start talking, we stand to lose a lot of money and could face prison or even the gallows."

"Sir, the only way I see it, is somebody has to go over there and make sure those boys never do talk to anyone."

"All, right, Timmons, your neck is on the line same as mine. Just make sure you do it right this time. We've never had a successful runaway from here even if the records show that we do. There's a lot of bones down that cliff behind the school that no one should ever find. But if someone talks, the state might send investigators."

"It's that young one that knows the most. Damn brat is too smart for his own good sneaking around and reading things he had no business reading. Tearing pages out of our secret records too. The older two aren't as much of a problem."

"There's no proof of anything. Who would believe those two ruffians anyway even if he told them things. Both lost their last indentures for fighting and stealing. No, the more I think about it, the more it's that Joe that needs to be silenced. We should be good once that's done. Even if they get those pages he stole, they won't know who the people are or even what those entries mean."

"When do you want me to go?"

"Set the guards' schedule for the week, and then take a week of vacation. That shouldn't arouse any suspicion. Tell people you're visiting your relatives in San Francisco. Then head over there to Virginia City and shut that damn whelp up. I'll think about what I need to tell that sheriff so those boys stay put."

"Why don't you say they can stay where they are, and you just need the name and location so you can send the proper paperwork for them to sign taking custody of the boys?"

"Even though you did make that one mistake, Timmons, you do have some very good ideas, very good indeed."

The headmaster sent those telegrams, and when Adam arrived in town that day to speak with the family lawyer and send a few telegrams of his own, Roy called to him as he was walking.

"Good morning, Roy. You look like you're very happy about something."

"Well, now, I am. I got a telegram this morning asking for your name and such so that reform school can send the proper paperwork and such for you to sign taking custody of those boys."

"That is great news." Adam paused though and that sense of foreboding he got sometimes rose up full strength. "They didn't want to know anything about me or where the boys are staying? Whether it's a good placement for them?"

That made Roy stop and think as well. He and Adam worked well together. What one didn't notice, the other often did. "You're right. That is a might peculiar. You would think they would have asked at least what I thought or ask for a reference or something. I didn't even mention you by name so they couldn't have known the boys were on the Ponderosa. Odd, very odd."

"Could you respond just with the lawyer's name and location? Then we could see what their next move will be. I plan to send a few enquiries of my own today. I want to know more about what is going on at that school. I've seen the lash marks on those boys, and Pa has seen them too. That's a brutal thing to do to boys. That indenture system of theirs sounds like a money making scheme too, and I have to wonder if the state knows about it."

"That's a good plan. I'll do just that. Now, how are the boys getting on over to your place there?"

"Lake and Z have fit right in with the hands. They're doing basic repair work for now. Soon, Gabe plans to teach them to ride. Then we'll see. If they have the talent for it, and want to stay, we'll keep them on. Otherwise, we'll see what they want to do. At least they'll have some wages in their pocket even if they do decide to move on. Z's nose is healing up fine too although he does have a couple of black eyes too."

"How about the young one?"

"LJ doesn't talk much yet, but he does seem happy. He fit right in at school, and he and Matthew are getting to be good friends."

"You thinking on taking him in to your family?"

"It's a possibility." At Roy's frown, Adam had to explain. "Matthew is the oldest in my family, but LJ is older than him. If we bring in LJ, then Matthew loses that spot. I'm not sure how he would feel about that. We have put him through so much in the past year, I don't want to add more turmoil to his life if I can help it."

"They're both pretty smart boys. I could tell that right off with that LJ. He's a clever one. Just the fact that he was with them older boys should tell ya something right there."

"I would very much like to know what is going on at that reform school, and I think that there will be some people in California who will want to know as well. I'm sending a few telegrams to them, and I hope they look into it. There's also an orphanage director whom I know and I've been surprised to hear how many of the boys at that school are orphans. Makes me wonder if they actually did something to get sent there of did it have something to do with their race. All three of these boys are part white. Lake and LJ are part Indian and Z is part black."

"Well I never would have guessed that. Course there's a lot of mixed bloods out here with the lack of women for so many years. Lots of men took Indian wives. Course we got a lot of Mexicans still living here too. No one's going to know unless the boys tell em. Well now I got a lot of work to do. I get that telegram off for ya first thing though."

After thanking Roy, Adam completed his errands and then rode him. On the ride, he thought about everything he had learned. He knew Traci would be happy that they could get custody of the boys so easily, but he continued to wonder why it had been so very easy. He had no answers but hoped to speak with LJ to see if he would talk about the reform school when he returned home later.

Because Gabe was working with Lake and Z, Joe was taking a turn picking up the children from school. Matthew's horse had lost a shoe on the way to school that day, so he had to ride in the wagon for the return trip. Eric and LJ decided to ride in the wagon too then which gave Joe an audience and he loved an audience. He entertained them with all sorts of stories of growing up on the Ponderosa. By the time they reached Hoss' house, the children didn't want the ride to end, but Joe promised to tell them more stories each of the following days that week.

Joe continued on to the main house to drop off Matthew and LJ. He really liked this boy and wished he could have a son like that. He loved his daughter immensely but really missed having a son. Joe was a little choked up when LJ gave him a hug before he jumped down from the wagon following Matthew's example. Joe snapped the reins and headed home with his daughter.

When Matthew and LJ were in the stable taking care of their horses, Adam rode in. They told him about the horse needing a shoe, and he said he would take care of it.

"LJ, why don't you help me put a shoe on your horse." It was clear it wasn't a question. LJ had not done anything wrong that he could think of but was worried at the serious look on Adam's face. Matthew whispered a quiet reassurance that his father looked like that often when he was thinking deeply about something.

"You would know if he was angry. Believe me, we would both know."

First showing LJ which tools they needed and choosing the shoe he thought would fit, Adam walked the horse outside so he could see better and had LJ tie the animal to the corral fence. Then as he worked, he casually asked questions about school until he got to the question he wanted most to ask.

"LJ, I get the feeling that you're holding something back from us about what happened at that reform school. You've told us what happened there, but not why you were so scared you talked the other two into running away."

LJ's mouth hung open at that, and he wondered how Adam could possibly know that. Adam had not known it but did suspect that LJ was the leader of the three. LJ's reaction was all he needed to confirm his theory.

"Now I think by now you know you can trust us, so what's the story you haven't told us yet? I'm asking because if we're going to help you, it would help for us to know the whole story."

LJ stood silently for a time as his thoughts warred in his mind. Finally he looked Adam in the eye and nodded.

"I overheard the headmaster talking with one of the guards. Because I could read and write, I was the one they made do a count of supplies. I was in the supply room and I heard them. They were talking about getting rid of a boy they thought was a troublemaker. He had been whipped and such, but he still refused to do the things they said he had to do. The next day they announced that he had run away. But I saw him. That night they'd come and got him and told him to be real quiet. I went to the window after they left, and then I saw them walking with him toward the cliff that's near the back of the property. A few minutes later they walked back without him. There's no way to run away back there cause we got to go back there without a guard sometimes. That's when I knew that runaways were really boys they killed."

"Were you afraid they would do that to you?"

"No, but I heard them talking about Lake and Z and how much trouble they were. I figured they were next so I came up with a plan to get out of there. I stole supplies from the storeroom and gave them to the other boys. I had Lake and Z help me, but then when the guards came in to take the extra food away, I told them we were caught and had to run away cause they were gonna be so mad at us. In all the confusion, it wasn't that hard to get away. I told Lake and Z that we had to go east because they expected us to go west, and it would gain us some time to get further away."

"I know I stole stuff and I lied, and you can punish me for that, but I won't change my mind. I think I had to do it."

"I would like to write down your story. Maybe the government in California could do something with that information. I wish there was someone else who could tell about what was happening there. I think they may be skeptical of a ten-year-old boy's account."

"I have some proof. I took some pages out of a secret book I found hidden in the storeroom. People are identified only by letters, but it isn't that hard to figure out. T has to be for Mr. Timmons, and F has to be for the headmaster, Mr. Franks. I bet if you knew the names of all the people there, you could figure it out."

"Where are these pages?"

Taking his small sack of belongings from his pocket, LJ pilled out a folded set of papers. There was some water damage on the outside, but once unfolded, the interior was dry and legible and showed how the indenture system brought in a lot of money fraudulently. There was also a list of runaways and how long they waited before informing the state collecting money for their room and board sometimes a year or more after they were no longer there. Adam was shocked by the extent of the corruption but shouldn't have been.

"May I take this to Sheriff Coffee? He can have copies made and sent to the proper authorities in California."

"If you think that's the best the best thing to do, yes."

Adam felt so good that LJ was showing trust in him already, and he wanted to be honest with him. "You may have to testify at some point. They will want you to tell what you saw and what you know about these records. Without your testimony, people at the reform school could claim that these are papers that were faked to get them in trouble. Do you think you could do that?"

"If you'll go with me. I'd be pretty scared to do it by myself."

"Certainly I can do that. I would want to do that. Now, may I tell Traci and my father about this?"

Nodding his head, LJ was relieved not to be carrying this knowledge all by himself. He had not known what to do with the information he had, but it seemed Adam did. Now he could relax a little. He smiled, and Adam threw an arm around him, and they walked to the house.

That evening at dinner, Adam announced that there would be papers coming that would give him custody of the three boys. He and Traci had discussed it and decided that announcing it as something to celebrate would be the best way to handle it. LJ was thrilled and wanted to run to tell the other boys immediately, but Traci insisted he have his dinner first. As soon as he was finished, she smiled at him and nodded. His enthusiasm was heartwarming. Matthew however seemed a bit subdued which made his parents concerned about how he was taking this news.

"Matthew, does that bother you somehow?"

"Papa, when Sheriff Coffee takes someone into custody, that means they did something wrong, doesn't it?"

At Adam's nod, Matthew continued. "So you have custody. Does that mean that LJ did something wrong, and he'll leave after he serves his time?"

"No, son, in this case, it's because none of them are adults. We as parents have custody of you just because you are so young. It will be the same with the boys until they're old enough to be responsible for themselves."

At that point, LJ came back with the other two boys who wanted to know if he had told them correctly. Adam assured them that he had, and offered to have the boys sit and have some dessert with them to celebrate. Hop Sing had been alerted earlier that there was news to celebrate. Later when all the boys and Hope were all in their bedrooms, Adam and Traci talked quietly with Ben at his desk. He was as concerned as they were that this was all too easy. Adam also showed them the papers LJ had given him and what LJ had told him.

"Adam, that boy could be in real danger if those people know what he did or even suspect it. Greed has corrupted them, and if LJ is correct, they have murdered before."

"I know. Traci and I were talking. I'll ride to school with the boys every day and be there at the end of the school day to ride home with them. I hope that doesn't interfere too much with ranch work and such, but I have to keep the boys safe. I'll let Hoss and Joe know what's going on too."

"Son, tell Gabe everything too. He's really taken Z and Lake under his wing, and he's the logical one to look out for them. Although, I must say they'll be safer than LJ. They're working around the ranch yard so it would be difficult for someone to get to them. LJ though is an hour away every day. Have you thought about just keeping him here until this settles?"

"That might be best." Looking at Traci, Adam got a smile. She liked that idea better too. It was so much better than her worrying about all three of them every day. "I'll ride in with the boys tomorrow to talk with the teacher. I'll explain and get work for them to do so they can stay home until this is settled."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The next morning, Gabe decided it would be best to teach the boys how to use the forge. They could stay close to the shelter of the buildings that way for the next week as they learned how to work the metal and create the types of things needed on the ranch. There would be time too to teach them how to saddle a horse and begin their riding lessons.

Saddling up their horses for a quick visit to school, Adam and the two young boys headed toward Virginia City. When they got to the school, Adam went inside with the boys to explain that LJ might be in some danger, and that both LJ and Matthew would be studying at home. The teacher wrote a list of work out as the boys collected the appropriate books to take with them. Then thanking the teacher for all she had done, they left. As they mounted up though, Adam had that funny feeling he got when he thought someone was watching him. Joe drove the wagon in with the other children and Eric riding along behind just as they were about to leave. Adam told Joe they could all ride back together. He waited for Joe to say goodbye to Paulene, and then the four of them turned to ride home.

Nearing the Ponderosa, the road passed through a narrow valley and then across a bridge. This was the bridge that was often threatened when there was a downpour or a fast spring thaw. Adam rode first with the two boys directly behind him, and Joe in the wagon behind them. Suddenly Adam saw a flash on metal on the hill just beyond the bridge.

"Ride, ride, that way."

Adam yelled as he pointed to the nearest cover of boulders and trees. As Adam wheeled his horse about, shot rang out, and they heard Adam grunt in pain. Matthew wanted to slow down to help but by then Joe had the team turned and the wagon headed back and yelled for Matthew to keep going.

"He's still on his horse. Get behind those rocks. Don't worry about your horses."

The two boys scrambled to the rocks as Joe jumped down from the wagon grabbing a rifle from under the seat. Adam got there soon after and slumped to the ground with his back against a boulder.

"How bad is it?"

"Flesh wound."

Joe looked Adam all over from boots to shoulders and couldn't see anything. Adam just pointed at the assailant up ahead.

"I don't know if it's one or more. I only saw one metal flash, and there was only one shot. I'll stay here with the boys if you want to work your way up the hill to see up ahead. And be careful! I won't be able to get up there to help you if you need it."

Still mystified as to where Adam was hit, Joe had to ask and then he laughed before he could help it earning nasty looks from the two boys.

"He shot you in the ass?"

"Yes, and it hurts like hell. Now would you do as I asked, please? Ah, Joe, before you go: do you happen to have a clean handkerchief in your pocket?"

A short time later, Joe climbed down. Adam was laying on his side after stuffing two handkerchiefs down his pants against the wound. Joe could see that he was in pain and looking a little pale as well.

"Saw one man riding away. Too far for me to take a shot, and I don't think I could recognize him either. He was a big man, though, built a lot like Hoss but not as tall based on how he sat that saddle."

"Timmons!" LJ's eyes were glazed in fear. The dreaded head guard at the reform school had found him and shot Adam. He wondered if his nightmare was ever going to have an end.

"LJ, now don't worry too much. We'll get home, and then I'll get Hoss to track and with some of the men, we'll catch this guy. Nobody shoots my brother in the ass and gets to walk away."

That got a shake of the head from Adam, and a slight smile from each of the two boys. If they didn't see how painful it was, they would have thought it very funny. Matthew was already thinking about how to tell Eric this story. Joe offered his arm to Adam who stood with his help and limped down to the wagon. The boys rounded up the three horses and tied them to the back of the wagon as Joe instructed. Then Matthew climbed in the back with Adam, and LJ rode on the seat with Joe. As they neared the Ponderosa main house, Joe handed the reins to LJ and let him guide the team home. In the yard he told him to pull up on the reins to stop the team.

Not expecting to hear a wagon or Joe's voice, Ben and Traci came outside quickly. Traci was carrying Hope and gasped when she realized Adam was laying in the back of the wagon. She could see the dried blood on his hands.

Careful not to frighten Hope, she had to ask. "Adam, what happened? Where are you hurt?"

"Papa got shot in the ass."

Ben and Traci were surprised by the injury and the language. "Matthew, we have told you that is not appropriate language."

"But that's how Uncle Joe said it."

Traci shook her head, handed Hope to Ben, and climbed into the wagon. "How is it, really?"

"Hurts like h.., a lot. I've had a lot worse though. Just going to be a problem sitting anywhere for a while."

Examining the entrance and exit points in his pants, Traci could see how shallow the wound must have been. Relieved somewhat, she offered her help to get Adam to slide on his side to the rear of the wagon where Joe had removed the back panel. Once Adam was on his feet, he leaned on Traci and Joe to walk to the house. Inside, they helped him upstairs. Hop Sing had greeted them when they entered the house and was soon following them up the stairs with the appropriate materials.

Joe came downstairs immediately and told Ben what he wanted to do. Ben agreed wholeheartedly with the plan. He told the two boys to stay inside, and then he went to get Gabe and the other two boys. They would all stay indoors for the day. Gabe asked if he could stay inside the stable with the boys and teach them about saddling. Ben asked if they could help him take the younger boys' horses inside and unsaddle them first. Ben thought that was a good idea overall, and they pulled the stable doors shut as he walked back to the house taking the boys' satchels with him.

Inside, both boys were sitting silently in front of the fireplace. Ben threw a few more logs on the fire and handed the satchels to the boys. "Now would you like to tell me the whole story? Say anything you want. Just get it all out."

The stories came tumbling out in mind jarring disorder, but eventually Ben had heard enough to have the entire scenario clear in his mind. The two boys were more relaxed too having been able to explain which had been cathartic for them.

"Now you boys sit there and start doing some of the reading the teacher assigned. You can go visit Adam as soon as Hop Sing and Traci are done with him."

The boys didn't have to wait long. Hop Sing brought down soiled cloths and water soon after. He told them that Traci was finishing bandaging and they could go up in a few minutes so they walked up the stairs and waited outside the room. Traci called them in and they found Adam lying on his side in bed with the covers pulled up to his chest. Matthew was a little disappointed because he actually would have liked to see how they bandaged such a wound, but Adam wasn't so happy to have him ask that question. LJ wanted to know how he would ride a horse and he snapped at him too. Traci suggested they ought to let Adam rest a little. Out in the hallway, she had some advice.

"Boys, your father has never been a good patient. He hates being tied to a bed like this, and he takes it out on everyone else. It would be best when you visit him not to bring up anything related to his injury or being stuck in that bed. Anything you can do to keep him busy these next few days will be helpful as well. He can lie down, and he can stand. Walking will be difficult, and sitting will not be possible."

The next time the boys visited, Matthew and LJ brought questions about their schoolwork. Adam was much more agreeable helping them with those things. Then Traci brought Hope up to the room, and she sat on the bed as Adam told her stories and made faces with her. By then it was nearly dinnertime, and everyone started to wonder about Hoss and Joe. Had they caught up to the gunman or not was the key question, and of course they wondered who the man had been. Hop Sing had just prepared a tray for Adam when everyone heard horses in the yard. Ben and Traci both grabbed pistols but put them aside as they heard Hoss' hail the house before entering. Hoss saw them near the pistols and guessed correctly that they had been cautious.

"Good idea. We didn't find him. He rode hard and fast to get away, and once he was on the road toward Placerville, there was no chance to get him. How's Adam?"

"Son, he's doing fine. The bullet was an in and out and it's a flesh wound."

"Boy howdy, I gotta go see him. Traci, is that dinner tray for him? Let me take it up there, please?"

In just a short while, they heard a yell and a crash. Then Hoss appeared at the top of the stairs with a big grin before descending.

"He sure does get crabby when he gets hurt. You'd think he would have been grateful I asked to see his wound to make sure it was all right. Instead he pitched an empty cup at me. Pa, there's one less cup in that set now. You might think about only sending up the plain white cups for Adam." Hoss snickered and Ben scowled. Soon the two boys were laughing out loud though, and Ben and Traci had to smile as well. Joe walked in then after talking with Gabe. When he asked if he could go up and see Adam, everyone laughed.

"What's so funny about that?"

"Joe, I was just up there. He shur don't like to be asked about where he got shot. When you walk in the room, be careful of that china cup that's smashed all over the floor there."

Joe grinned too, and within minutes, there was another roar and another loud thump. Joe came down and said something very similar to what Hoss had said except this time he threw a book. It was teasing, but it made them know that their older brother truly was all right.

"All right. That's enough torturing of my husband. We have to live in the house with him for the next few days."

"Well you can always remind him how much better that is now that Joe and me don't live in the house no more."

Shaking his head, Ben just asked if they wanted to stay for dinner. Of course they did, so there were plenty of people to eat Hop Sing's cooking and make him happy.

Later when everyone was in bed, Traci came back into the room with Adam. She asked him to slide over, and he asked why.

"Well would you like to snuggle or have your back to me?"

For the first time since that morning, Adam grinned and slid ever so slowly back toward the other side of the bed. Traci slid in and was immediately engulfed in a hug and long kiss.

"You must be feeling a bit better."

"Anytime you're here next to me, I feel better. Now how are we going to handle this issue with the boys? What plans are being made to keep them safe?"

"Other than keeping them inside, we haven't come up with anything. Your father suggested that if you could make it down the stairs tomorrow, we could all discuss what to do next. I really hope that there's an investigation in California. Putting some pressure on them there, could limit their chances to do something here."

"So everyone is assuming it was someone from the school?"

"From Joe's description, LJ thinks it's a man named Timmons."

"We need to bring Roy in on the discussion and let him know about Timmons. He can put out a wanted poster on him, and then we can ask the people in California to take him into custody for questioning."

"Roy can do that?"

"Yes, as long as it just says he's wanted for questioning, suspected of a crime like attempted murder, and there's no bounty, it works fine."

"Attempted murder?"

"Traci, if I didn't wheel Jupiter around and rise up in the saddle to warn the boys to hide, where would that bullet have gone? I'm pretty sure he wasn't aiming for my ass."

Traci shivered when she thought about that. Adam felt her trembling and pulled her in closer to him and kissed her again.

"It didn't happen, so you can let that thought go. Now, show me some tender, loving care. After all, I got shot today."

Shaking her head then, Traci kissed Adam and held him close. They fell asleep as they did most nights, wrapped in each other's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The next morning, Adam was able to make his way downstairs although very slowly. He stood at the table and ate breakfast before going to the settee to lie on his side and read. By about nine, Sheriff Roy Coffee was there as were Hoss and Joe. Traci called Gabe and the boys in to join them as they began working on a strategy. Roy had some information already from California.

"Now you gotta know that in California, those indentures was legal. The state wouldn't have done nothing about that. But, they don't like that they was getting billed for boys who wasn't even at that school. What got them most interested in investigating though was the idea that boys were being murdered there. Now they've had suspicious families asking questions for years about why runaway boys never contacted their families. Most of the boys there was mixed race so you know how that goes."

Trying to spare the boys' feelings, Roy didn't want to be too direct but Lake and Z nodded. They had already heard the names and had been treated as second class people because of their mothers' races. LJ however had not, and wondered at what the sheriff was mentioning. LJ had been treated fine in the miners' camp when he lived with his father. He knew his mother was Indian but she had died when he was very young. He had no knowledge of her culture or even what tribe she was. He had no idea he would be treated differently if people knew he was part Indian. The others saw his confusion and knew there would have to be a painful discussion with him in the future.

Meanwhile, Joe had a question. "Did they find anything yet?"

"Yessir, they did. They found the remains of at least one boy, and many bones lying scattered at the bottom of that cliff. Apparently they lowered an agent on a rope as soon as they could get there. Now they need LJ's statement so that they can press charges. LJ, who exactly did you see walking out with that last boy that was killed?"

"Mr. Timmons was there, and Mr. Byrnes, and another guard but I don't know his name. He had red hair though, and he was the only one of them who had red hair."

"All right, now, they want LJ in California to make a statement as soon as possible. There are state temporary officers at that school, and they have arrested all the men who worked there except for four, but they can't hold them for very long on hearsay and some bones. Some of em might just be witnesses to what the others did. LJ is the key to this case. We'll bring that paper that he had so he can explain that to them as well."

"Who got away before they could get them?" Adam thought he knew part of that answer already.

"Well I only know that they said the headmaster was one they was looking for. Probably hightailed it out of California. They won't be tracked down unless there are murder charges. Nobody is going to spend the money to go after them for fraud. Most politicians don't want people looking too closely into a thing like that anyway. But for murder, there'll be wanted posters and such. They won't be safe."

Traci was incensed. "After what they tried yesterday and what you know, you want us to send LJ to California? That's just insane."

Adam stood then, pulled Traci up with him, and wrapped an arm around here. "Traci, we knew this was going to happen. We knew he would have to testify."

Roy finally had his opportunity. "Well, I always know I can count on Adam to get to the bottom of things. He just grabs hold of things by the seat of his pants."

That earned him a glower from Adam, but a chorus of laughs from almost everyone else. Adam could feel Traci shaking a little even though he couldn't hear her laughing. He pulled away to see her face and knew.

"Well, apparently everyone thinks it's funny that I got shot. Why getting shot in the ass is so funny, I don't know." Still in pain, Adam hadn't accepted that there was any significant humor in his situation. However he did know that the whole group needed to lighten up, and that his scowl was expected so he played along.

Roy's barb had lightened the mood as he intended. The group got back into the strategy planning mode. Adam couldn't accompany LJ as they had first expected, but Joe quickly volunteered to go with the boy on the stage. Gabe volunteered to ride shotgun on the stage. The group made plans for two more to get on the stage at the first way station, and Hoss would lead a group of men who would scout out possible ambush spots along the road to try to surprise anyone planning to intercept the stage. The plan was a good one, but Adam felt as helpless as his son, Traci, and the two other boys who would have to remain here to worry until the whole episode was finished.

The rest of the day was spent in preparation. Hoss and his group would head out first in the morning. Then, Ben and Gabe would escort Joe and LJ into town with Hoss' group watching out for them from the hills along the way. Once in town, Roy and his deputies would help safeguard LJ until the stage pulled out. At the first way station, two more Ponderosa men who had ridden out in Hoss' group would get aboard the stage for the run through the mountains. Once in California, they could expect help from officials there. In Placerville, LJ would be interviewed and give a sworn statement in front of a California judge. Then they would stay in a hotel, and the next morning, they would reverse the procedure hopefully arriving home the day after. It would be four tension packed days however.

As the men were leaving, Traci told Adam he should go upstairs so she could change his bandage after washing the wound again to prevent infection. He walked slowly to the stairs and then put one foot on the first step and then the other. Laboriously like that he climbed the stairs. He paused at the landing, and his brothers decided it was a good time to say goodbye.

"Hey, older brother, Joe and me are real sorry we made you the butt of some of the jokes."

Snickering, Joe had to add more. "You'll laugh too when you get a chance to sit and think about it." Laughing then, Joe followed Hoss out of the house but not before he laid a reassuring hand on LJ's shoulder.

"Everything's going to be all right. I could never let anything happen to you. We share a name, and I feel like you're part of the family already. Trust me if you can, LJ, because I will do everything I can to help you."

Meanwhile, shaking his head at his brothers' last barbs, Adam turned to finish the climb. Matthew asked if he could help, and at first, Adam was going to decline but seeing the hopeful look in his son's eyes, he put his arm around his shoulders and leaned on him a little. By the time he got to the top of the stairs, he was glad that he had had Matthew's help. Matthew had one request though.

"Papa, could I see how Mama bandaged your bottom?"

"Only if you want to help her clean up the wound and bandage it."

Matthew nodded enthusiastically. Adam shook his head fully expecting his son to be thoroughly grossed out by the wound and what had to be done to clean it up. Instead, Matthew was a big help to Traci, and stayed for the whole procedure. Afterwards, he sat on the bed and held his father's hand as Traci cleaned up the soiled bandages and cloths they had used.

"Papa, does it hurt very bad?"

Through gritted teeth, Adam responded. "I've had worse, but the hardest part is everything I do except lie on my side puts pressure on that wound. So it hurts almost all the time. That's tiresome."

"Matthew, could you go downstairs now. I would like your Papa to get some sleep now."

After Matthew left, Traci had some bad news. "There was a bit of an infection in there. Maybe we didn't get all the debris out of the wounds the first time. Later, I'm going to ask Hop Sing help me wash the whole thing again. It's going to hurt a lot. For now, I think you should just rest. We'll be back up here as soon as Hop Sing is ready to help."

"Where's LJ?"

"Gabe has all three boys in the bunkhouse. They'll stay inside today."

"I'll just stay up here then until you and Hop Sing have time. I'm tired anyway."

As Hop Sing and Traci went up the stairs later to take care of Adam's wound, Matthew again asked to help. Coming in from the bunkhouse, LJ, who was as curious as ever especially after what Matthew had told him, volunteered to help too. Hop Sing frowned at the requests, but Traci said they could help. Once in the room, Traci removed the bandage and Hop Sing saw the telltale leakage indicating some infection. It looked superficial to him which was a great relief. He had to prod at the wounds to open them more causing more drainage. Using a carbolic acid solution, they washed the wounds out several times. When they appeared clean, Hop Sing applied some healing salve at both spots before he and Traci packed bandages over the open wounds. Matthew had handed them what they needed as they had proceeded, and pulled away the soiled materials. Finally he pulled the towel away that had caught the drainage. LJ was sitting on a chair looking very pale. Adam had stopped groaning so that everyone could now hear the slight whimpers coming from LJ.

"LJ, do you feel well enough to go sit in the hall? Just sit on the floor, and I'll be there soon." Traci's first duty was to Adam, but as soon as she could, she would help LJ. She pulled a sheet and a blanket up over Adam so he could rest. Matthew seemed as calm and collected as he had earlier, so Traci had him sit with his father, and she went to LJ."

"Mrs. Cartwright, that was so awful. It looked awful and it smelled really awful. And then Mr. Cartwright was groaning something terrible, and I just felt sick. But the rest of you was acting just so, well, so normal, I guess. How can you do that?"

"LJ, most people can't handle that type of thing. I was very surprised that Matthew was able to help like that. Some people are just natural healers, I suppose, like Hoss is too."

"So, that's what being a doctor is like? All the blood and the smells and other stuff?"

Wrapping her arms around LJ, Traci agreed with him. Matthew came out then and said Adam wanted to talk with Traci. Matthew and LJ went downstairs then to tell Ben how Adam was doing. Ben headed up the stairs to see his son. When he got to the door, he saw Traci sitting by Adam's side and holding his hand as she used her other hand to caress his face. It was a moment of tender love that brought tears to Ben's eyes. He knew how much these two loved each other, but to see that love was a gift. He stood and watched for just a moment and then returned downstairs.

Feeling tired after so much activity, emotional stress, and physical pain, Adam took his dinner in his room with his wife and son. Gabe and the boys were invited to have dinner with Ben. Soon after, everyone decided to go to bed for it had been an exhausting day for everyone, and the next four days were going to be even more difficult for Gabe and LJ. It would be hard on everyone who had to wait and wonder as well.

Having trouble sleeping, Ben went downstairs after a couple of hours of restlessly tossing in his bed. As he walked to the kitchen intending to make some hot chocolate, he heard noises from the guest room. He knocked and the noise stopped. Then he heard a soft reply to come in. As he entered with the lamp, he could tell that LJ had been crying so he invited him into the kitchen to help him make some hot chocolate. After Ben got the milk, Hop Sing was there awakened by the noise the two had made, so the cook took over. Ben invited LJ to sit at the fireplace with him. Ben sat on the settee and LJ sat right next to him. Ben wrapped his arm around LJ's shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. They sat that way even after they had their hot chocolate served by Hop Sing. When they finished, Ben asked LJ if he wanted to talk.

"No, Mr. Cartwright, but it sure would be nice if you would sit with me here for a while."

Less than a half hour later, Ben felt LJ relax and could hear his soft breathing. He carefully lifted the boy and carried him to his bed pulling the covers up to his chin. LJ relaxed into a restful sleep. Ben grabbed another blanket and sat in the rocker. It had been a long time since he had done that for his sons, but he knew when a boy needed the reassurance of having a protector near by, and it would be worth the aches and stiff joints he would have in the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Very early that next morning, when Ben heard Hop Sing in the kitchen, he woke LJ before he went back upstairs to his room to dress. Everyone was up and having breakfast before the sun rose. When they heard horses in the yard, they knew that Hoss and Joe had arrived. There was a man standing guard so if it had been anyone else, they would have known.

As Hoss and Joe came in, Adam was making his way slowly down the steps. Seeing how drawn and haggard he looked, both felt a little guilty for teasing him so much the day before. It was clear that he was still in pain, and that it was exhausting him. Traci had a pillow on a chair and asked Adam if he would like to try sitting at the table. He did and gingerly lowered himself to sit on the pillow. It was somewhat uncomfortable but tolerable especially to a man who hated to have anyone have to make special provisions for him. He would rather not have had the pillow but doubted he could sit without it, so he tolerated that as well. Both Hoss and Joe were aware he wouldn't appreciate an apology nor any sympathy for being wounded as he didn't like special attention being paid to him either. So they did what they thought he would like and avoided any comments relating to him being shot.

As soon as everyone was packed up, Ben, Gabe, and Joe got ready to head out with LJ for town. LJ came to stand next to Adam before he left and Adam wrapped an arm around him and told him to take good care of Joe.

"I thought he was supposed to take care of me?"

"He is, but he's my little brother, and I wouldn't want him to get into any trouble. He has a way of attracting trouble, so will you promise to stick to his side like honey to a bee?"

LJ nodded vigorously as everyone else smiled. With just a few words, Adam had managed to take LJ's mind off what was frightening him and focus him on something else. Ben put his hand on LJ's shoulder then and told him it was time to go. Traci had tears in her eyes watching LJ leave. He was just a boy and was being so brave. She turned and buried her head on Adam's shoulder after the front door closed. Matthew walked to his mother's side and hugged her.

"Uncle Joe will take good care of LJ, Mama, you'll see."

"I know he will, Matthew, but I'll worry just the same until everyone is back home safe and sound."

"Is this LJ's home now?"

"Maybe. How would you feel about that?"

"I like him a lot. It would be fine with me. We could do a lot of stuff together and with Eric too."

"Well, your Papa is going to have custody of all three boys, so all three may be living on the ranch but LJ will continue to live in the house here unless he wants to live somewhere else."

Matthew nodded his head and then headed into the kitchen to see if there was something Hop Sing wanted him to do. His parents watched him go amazed once again at how well he was adjusting to change.

For the others, the ride to Virginia City was quiet. They waited inside the stage depot and rushed LJ to the stage when it got there. Gabe climbed up to ride shotgun, and Joe climbed in with LJ. There were no other passengers as Roy had commandeered the stage and Ben would pay any costs involved. Once they reached the first way station, two more Ponderosa hands climbed aboard. Both were as well armed as Joe and Gabe, and had a message to deliver.

"We just talked to Hoss, and he said everything looks clear so far. They'll keep shadowing us though and keeping an eye out."

Everything proceeded smoothly at each way station and along the road. Joe kept LJ entertained with stories about his exploits as a youngster and all the tricks he had played on his brothers. Once the other two men were on board, they added stories too. By the end of the day, LJ had gotten quite a bit of history of the Cartwright brothers. Once the day was done and it was time to sleep though, his mind returned to the purpose of this journey. He became nervous then and wondered how he would be able to sleep.

"Thinking about tomorrow?"

"Mr. Joe, how can anybody sleep like this? I mean there could be men out there with guns trying to kill us like when they shot Mr. Adam."

"Yes, but now we know they're out there so we have made plans to protect you. Hoss and some men are out there watching out for us, and there are four men here whose job it is to protect you. Do you want to sleep next to me tonight? I'll make sure nothing happens to you. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you."

"Yes, Mr. Joe, I would like that a lot, I really would. Mr. Ben stayed in my room last night, and it made me feel a lot better when I woke up and saw he was there."

Smiling, Joe thought about his father and how often he had probably sat in young boys' rooms reassuring them as they three brothers had grown up, and now had done the same for LJ. He rolled out his bedroll in the small bedroom. There was a bed for the boy to sleep in. There was another set of cots in the second bedroom but he left those for the other three men to use. One of them would be on the floor as well. He laid his rifle and pistol on the floor next to him after making sure the window was covered completely by the curtains. Then he laid down to sleep and urged LJ to do the same.

The next day proceeded much as the first had which made Joe and Hoss nervous. They had fully expected trouble by now, and worried about what their foes could be planning. When they made it through the mountains and started down toward Placerville, everyone grew more tense. They rolled into the last waystation on their journey, and all the men looked down the road. There had been so many likely spots for an ambush, but none had come. They wondered what was in store for them in the last few hours of this day. All the men walked with LJ to the small waystation to get something to drink and a light meal. As they entered, they heard the click of revolvers. Joe jumped backward grabbing LJ and ran to the corner of the building and then out into the brush.

Once Joe got LJ far enough from the building to feel safe, he fired three shots. LJ looked at him, scared, but also curious.

"Hoss will know we're in trouble. That's the Ponderosa signal for needing help."

Moving at an angle to their original flight path, Joe worked the two of them further into the trees. They heard yells from the waystation but ignored them. When they heard horses, Joe peeked out from their hiding place to see Hoss staring at him.

"How did you know we were here?"

"Joe, I can track a coyote through pine needles. Not too hard to track two elephants bulling through the brush. Now what happened back there, and where are the other men?"

"They were in the way station. I have no idea what happened to the stationmaster, but I assume they've got our men as prisoners."

"So, they'll probably want to make a trade." Hoss sat and thought for just a moment. "Take my horse and get LJ to Placerville. We'll handle things here. If they're all barricaded in the waystation, they can't do anything to ya. Send help cause I doubt these jaspers are gonna give up very easy."

"But Gabe is in there?" LJ was worried for the man who had been so nice to the boys.

"Gabe is darn good at taking care of things. He probably understands these men better than they understand themselves. You staying here ain't gonna help Gabe, but you being gone might. Without you to bargain for, what are they gonna do?"

Hoss' rationale was sound, and after LJ thought for a moment, he nodded his head. He would go with Joe and do as he said he would. Joe put a hand on his shoulder, and LJ felt better. It felt like he had a family. He wished that would happen, but didn't think a family as wealthy and powerful as the Cartwrights would welcome a reform school runaway like him. However Mr. Adam had custody so at least for now, he had a place to stay and call home even if he didn't have a family. He and Joe rode for two hours reaching the courthouse in Placerville just a little later than they had been expected. With stage lines running late most of the time, no one was surprised at that, but when Joe explained what was going on at the waystation, the sheriff and the marshal left briefly to send help.

When the marshal and sheriff returned, LJ faced an intimidating sight. There was the sheriff of Placerville, a U.S. Marshal, a circuit court judge, the governor's assistant, and two lawyers from the state justice department. They all sat down at a long table in the conference room of the building, and invited Joe and LJ to sit on the other side of the table.

"We thought Adam Cartwright was to be here with Joe."

"My brother was shot. It's not a serious wound but enough to prevent him from traveling. I'm his brother, Joe Cartwright, and he sent me in his place to protect LJ."

"LJ?"

"For Little Joe because I'm Joe too so we did that to prevent confusion."

"Now, Joe Meeker, it seems you have a story to tell us. We have a clerk here who will write down everything you say. We may ask some questions as you go, but don't worry because it's not about you. We just need to make sure everything is clear so we can take this men to trial for murder. Nothing you say will be held against you in any way. When you finish here today, Mr. Cartwright will be expected to return you to the custody of Mr. Adam Cartwright. All right?"

Nodding, LJ began telling his story. Joe kept a hand on his arm or on his shoulder for the entire hour it took him to explain what he had done and seen. He finally pulled out the pages from the secret account books and handed those across the table. Adam had told him to give them to these men and tell them where he had found them. He did that, but they seemed not to be that interested in those pages as he had thought they would be. Adam had warned him they might not, but he was still surprised. If he got caught stealing, he would be in a lot of trouble, but these men seemed not to be bothered much by that. They did seem happy that LJ could confirm the identity of the men who had talked about killing that last boy, and that he could identify the three who had escorted that boy to his death. They would have four men to bring to justice and use their executions as proof of what good leaders they were. The next election was already assured for a number of politicians who planned to use this case to promote themselves.

Once LJ was finished testifying, the clerk produced a copy of his statement. He signed it and Joe attested his identity and signature. Then they were done. After thank yous from all the parties there, LJ left with Joe to go to their hotel room. They only had Hoss' saddlebags so they had no extra clothing or anything else. They checked into the room and waited for dinner to be served. After dinner, they sat and talked with LJ preferring to talk about the Ponderosa, and Joe willing to talk about that especially the horses. LJ got quite an education over those few hours. As the hour was late, Joe suggested LJ ought to sack out on one of the beds when they heard a lot of bootsteps in the hallway. Joe grabbed his pistol, but relaxed when he heard his brother's voice. He opened the door to find Hoss, Gabe, and the other two men from the stage in the hallway grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, now, I hope you ordered some dinner for us. We been working hard and then riding hard."

Lifting a dome from one of the plates, Joe grinned at Hoss whose eyes got very big looking at the stack of sandwiches Joe had ordered hoping that his brother would be there that night. Hoss and the men fell on those sandwiches like winter starved wolves from the mountains who found a downed elk. Within minutes, the sandwiches were gone. Then Hoss told the story of what happened.

"We heard a ruckus and gunshots in that waystation, and busted in that door. Wasn't much left to do though. Gabe had gotten hold of Timmons' gun and shot him, and these other two boys took down the other two guards. We found Byrnes hiding under a bed. He had wet hisself. We washed him down with water from the well, and tied him up. Brought all three of those jaspers here. The sheriff locked em in the jail. Brought your stuff from the stage too."

Joe handed Hoss his saddlebags, and the other men headed to their rooms. Hoss closed the door and asked how things had gone with the testimony.

"You would have been real proud of LJ here. It was pretty scary for him though but he stayed strong and told them everything. He was as honest as anyone could be. I'm could hardly hold myself back from slapping him on the back as he told everything he had heard and seen. He's one smart, brave boy. He's more of a man than a lot of men I know. I'm proud to know him."

Smiling at Joe's obvious affection for LJ, Hoss offered LJ his congratulations as well.

LJ was embarrassed by all the praise, but stood a bit taller too as these two men he admired so much showered him with kind words. LJ asked if they thought Mr. Adam would be proud of him too, and Hoss noticed how Joe's face fell a little with that question. Hoss assured LJ that Adam would be as proud of him as they were. He hoped too that Joe would be honest with Adam about how he felt about LJ. He wished them both a good night then and headed for his room. Hoss had left a message to be sent to the Ponderosa as soon as the telegraph office opened in the morning, so he planned to sleep in and then eat a big breakfast before heading home.

The next morning on the Ponderosa, Ben and Adam were savoring cups of coffee when they heard a rider come in. Adam stood so slowly that Ben was at the door before he could even turn in that direction. It was Danny from the telegraph office with an telegram marked urgent. Ben tore it open and then grinned as he read it to Adam. "LJ testimony done. Bad guys caught. All safe." Ben dug out a dollar for Danny and thanked him for bringing the message. Adam walked slowly to go upstairs and tell Traci who was busy with Hope, as Ben went to tell Matthew who was cleaning out the chicken coop. Last Ben headed to the bunkhouse to tell Lake and Z that they were safe, and could resume normal activities.

Matthew had asked if his birthday celebration could be delayed until everyone was safe at home, and now they knew when that would be. Ben told Hop Sing to have a big cake ready for Sunday night as they expected Joe and LJ to be home by then. Hoss and the others would come overland so they would most likely be home even sooner.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

With his birthday celebration in full swing, Matthew had been surprised that the party seemed to be as much about LJ as it was about him. He got a hint of what it would be like to have LJ in his family. He began thinking about the pluses and minuses of such a change in his life. Adam saw his son looking pensive at his party and asked him to join him outside on the porch. It took a while for Adam to make his way there for he was still walking slowly because anything else hurt. Once outside, he asked Matthew what he thought about LJ joining their family.

"I would hate to lose him. I really like him, but it seems like I would lose my spot in the family. LJ is the older one, and he would be the one in charge if you were gone. I like being the one in charge when you're gone. I want to be Hope's big brother and teach her stuff. If LJ is here, that wouldn't be the same. I want him to be happy though. Oh Papa, I don't know what to think."

"This isn't a situation that one can necessarily think through. Your feelings are just as important. No decision has been made, but I would hate to lose him too."

Seeing her husband and son walk outside, Traci had a fairly good idea what the conversation might be so she had followed them but waited to see how things proceeded. Now she felt she needed to say something.

"Perhaps we need to ask LJ? And maybe the rest of the family has ideas too."

Looking at Traci, Adam knew she had the same thought as he did. He walked inside and asked LJ and Joe to join them outside. Matthew giggled a little and whispered to his mother so his father with his superior hearing wouldn't hear.

"It would have been a lot faster if one of us had gone to get Joe and LJ. Papa is still walking very slowly." Traci smiled.

Once Joe and LJ were out on the porch, Adam told them they had been discussing where LJ would live on the Ponderosa and thought perhaps the two of them had some ideas of how that should go. Joe was very surprised. He knew then that Adam and Traci must know what he wanted, and he hadn't been aware that he had been so obvious about it. Adam looked at Joe and smirked.

"I've been able to read you like an open book ever since you were a boy. Your feelings are always so open."

"Traci too?"

"Oh heck, Joe, almost everyone can. Now do you have something to say here?"

"Well you know how I feel, but I think we need to know how LJ feels."

LJ was as confused as he could be. They all seemed to know what they were talking about but he didn't. "What I feel about what?"

Adam was direct. "Joe and I would both open our homes to you, LJ. What we want to know is, where would you like to live?"

LJ thought carefully about how to say what was in his mind. Finally he decided to just tell the truth and see what happened. "Well, Mr. Adam saved me and treated me real good, and I love him already, but Mr. Adam and Matthew got each other, and Mr. Hoss and Eric got each other, but Joe and me, we don't have another guy who's special to us, so I was thinking maybe Mr. Joe and I could be, you know, there for each other. Mr. Joe was by my side the whole time we was gone, and I liked knowing that he would protect me. He talked to me and told me all about the Ponderosa and the horses. So I'd like to be with Mr. Joe's family and I know I would like it, but I don't want to hurt Mr. Adam none, cause I love him too and being with his family would be great too."

Bending slowly because of the soreness in his backside yet, Adam put his arm around LJ and looked at him directly and quietly asked him a question. "Would you love me any less as your Uncle Adam?"

With tears in his eyes, LJ hugged Adam and then holding him as tightly as he could. "No sir, no sir, I wouldn't. I will love you no matter what."

Not knowing what Adam had said nor what LJ had responded, Joe waited to hear but he was worried at that big hug LJ was giving Adam. Adam stood as soon as LJ released him, and keeping a hand on LJ's shoulder, he turned to Joe. "Would you take LJ as your son, Joe?"

Joe opened his arms and got a great hug from LJ. Traci had gone to get Amy and Paulene who arrived just in time to hear Adam's question. Paulene squealed in delight and both she and Amy rushed to join in the hugging. Amy and Joe had talked of this possibility already and hoped it could come true so they were delighted and almost speechless. Their daughter had been even more enthusiastic than they were for she wanted a sibling very much and an older brother was perfect in her mind. Other family members came outside then wondering what was going on out on the porch. Once Ben got there, Joe made the announcement.

"Pa, Amy and I are going to adopt LJ. Welcome your newest grandson."

Adam leaned down to speak with his son. "Matthew would you mind sharing your birthday party so we can celebrate LJ joining the family?"

"Oh yes, Papa. This is so nice. I get to keep LJ as a friend and we can do stuff together, and I get to be the oldest son for you and Mama and Hope's big brother too. Paulene gets to have an older brother now too so it's just about perfect. What about Lake and Z though?"

"That old cabin that you first hid the boys in? Well Gabe decided to ask Ann Marie to marry him, and he's going to live there. He wants to adopt the two boys even though they're almost grown. He says at his age, they would be that old if he had married when he was younger. Ann Marie might be too old to have any more children so she's happy to have sons too. I told Z and Lake as soon as Gabe got back from town and told me what he wanted to do. That's why Gabe didn't ride home with you. We'll give Gabe some time to fix up the cabin and the stable. With those two helping him, it shouldn't take long. I'll design an addition of one bedroom to the cabin and we'll put some dividing walls inside to make a bedroom, kitchen, and parlor."

LJ had been listening too. "So that's why those two were grinning at me all night. I thought they looked awful happy just to know I got back safe. So will you have custody of us any more?"

"Only until we can get the judge to approve the adoptions. I can't see how he would have any objections. I'll head into town to talk to our lawyer after I get everyone to school."

"You're driving the buckboard?" Matthew was grinning again and looked a lot more like his father when he had that mischievous grin.

"No, I'm taking the big carriage. The seats are padded and the springs are better."

Matthew looked up at his father and grinned even more.

"And no wisecracks out of you about why either."

The men were congratulating Joe, and Ben had gone inside to get cigars for everyone. He had not expected quite this scenario but it made a lot of sense to him as he thought about it. The ladies went inside together laughing and telling Amy all about raising a son. The youngsters went back inside too assuming that there could be another helping of cake to celebrate the news. Adam had a cigar in his hand as Traci passed by him.

Traci walked out and dropped a pillow into a chair and then walked back inside with only one comment. "Don't smoke that if you think you're well enough."

"Well enough for what?" At Traci's smile, Adam dropped the cigar in his pocket and grinned back at her. Adam walked near Hoss, took the cigar out of his pocket, and dropped it in his pocket then.

"Well, thank ya, older brother. Not in the mood?"

"Not for a cigar." Adam sat in the chair and leaned back with a smile.

"Son, you are a very lucky man."

"Yes, Pa, I am, a very lucky man indeed."


End file.
